After Leaving WH, John Bolton Endorses Five Incumbents for Re-Election

In a speech at the end of September, National Security Advisor John Bolton warned that if Tehran harmed the US or its allies, there would be “hell to pay”. He added that “If you cross us, our allies, or our partners; if you harm our citizens; if you continue to lie, cheat, and deceive, yes, there will indeed be hell to pay.” Bolton, who joined the Trump administration as National Security Adviser in March 2018, has long been a vociferous opponent of Iran and has repeatedly advocated for a preemptive strike on its nuclear facilities and the toppling of the clerical regime. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

The John Bolton PAC will contribute to each campaign fora collective amount of $50,000

Edited by: JV Staff

Former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Ambassador John R. Bolton, announced on Friday the resumption of the John Bolton PAC and the John Bolton Super PAC. He also announced the John Bolton PAC’s endorsement of the following five federal candidates running in 2020: Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16), and Rep. Lee Zeldin (NY-01). Additionally, the John Bolton PAC will contribute $10,000 to each candidate’s primary and general election campaigns for a total of $50,000. Ambassador Bolton has endorsed each of these candidates in previous election cycles.

“The John Bolton PAC and John Bolton Super PAC seek a strong, clear, and dependable U.S. national security policy, resting on constancy and resolve,” said Ambassador Bolton. “The experience that these incumbent members of Congress have provides them with a remarkable understanding and knowledge of the threats we face from international terrorism and rogue regimes such as Iran and North Korea.”

Since 2014, the John Bolton PAC has contributed $1,504,500 to 219 federal and state candidates. During this same time, the John Bolton Super PAC has spent $6,183,797 on independent expenditures in support of strong national security policies.

Bolton was allegedly fired on Tuesday by Trump, although Bolton has tweeted that he had resigned.

In reaction to Bolton’s departure from his post, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), a member of the Senate’s foreign relations committee, said in a statement, “I sincerely hope his leaving the White House does not mean that the deep-state forces at State and Treasury — who have been fighting tooth and nail to preserve the Obama Iran nuclear deal — have finally convinced the president to go soft on Iran.”

According to a report in Ha’Aretz, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif constantly referred to Bolton as one of the “three B’s” – three people who according to Zarif are pushing Trump towards war with Iran. They are Bolton, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Ha’Aretz also reported that within the Trump administration, Bolton was considered one of the closest people to Netanyahu and to Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to the US who is based in Washington, DC.

Additionally, the paper reported that Bolton shared Netanyahu’s views regarding Iran, and was involved in the recent discussions between Israeli and American officials about some form of “gesture” to the prime minister from the administration ahead of the Israeli election next week.

Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the foreign relations committee, told reporters Bolton’s firing is emblematic of Trump’s style.

“He wants people who basically are yes-men. I may not have agreed with Ambassador Bolton on a whole host of issues and his bellicose views, but the one thing about him is he obviously presented counterviews at times for his consideration. That’s not something the president wants,” said Menendez.

Bolton was chosen by Trump in March of 2018 to replace H.R. McMaster, a former Army lieutenant general, as national security adviser.

Trump’s first choice for the position, Michael Flynn, also a retired Army lieutenant general, lasted less than a month in the job before being fired. He was subsequently convicted of lying to the FBI about December 2016 conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States, and he is awaiting sentencing.

Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was brought into this administration after a stint as a commentator on the Fox News Channel, which is generally supportive of President Trump.

Bolton, who previously had served in three previous Republican presidential administrations, also held roles in the Justice and State departments.